Tag Archives: University of North Carolina at Charlotte

A study done at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte indicates the glass ceiling is alive and well.

The researchers looked at the 1% at the top of the income pyramid and found that women are still woefully behind men in earnings. The top 1% of American households rreceive nearly a quarter of all U.S. income. Women’s income alone accounts for 1% status in only 5 % of those households (i.e., .0005 of U.S. households). Women’s contribution is necessary to achieve the 1% status in household income in 15% of the elite families (.0015 of households). To qualify for top 1% household status, the authors of the study calculate that a household must bring in $845,000 in total income in 2016 dollars.

Beyond the cash itself, the scarcity of women at the top incomes means less political, economic, and social power and influence.

Importantly, the study also indicates that the gender gap in personally earning this level of income has not narrowed since the mid- to late-1990s. This means that women’s progress on this issue has stalled and women are no closer to earning elite-level income today than they were two decades ago.

Previous studies of the glass ceiling looked at women in terms or CEO or leadership positions. This study shows that the glass ceiling effect extends even to self-employment. Although women who are self-employed or highly educated are doing better, they are still lagging behind men in income. Most women who attain 1% status still do so via marriage.